Leave Your Sadness On My Bedroom Floor
by sterekfluffer
Summary: The phone-in is supposed to be in the four pm news, says Derek and Stiles grabs a red pen from his desk and leans over Derek's shoulder, arm brushing his cheek, to write a big 'FOUR PM' on the sheet he just stuck up. He winks as he walks off with a bunch of papers and files and Derek's left staring after him.


**this was inspired by two stories: one I read a long time ago; it was a Greg/Nick CSI story and I loved it so much I copied it down into my moleskine. the other is called keep breathing by thepsychicclam **

**So, there are like ten sterek fic-in-progress on my computer and for some reason, I just can't seem to finish even one. Then I realized it's probably because I find long fics (10k+) hard and tedious to write, no matter how in love with the plot I am. So I tried this prompt/list fic and fell in love. I'm definitely doing more of these in the future!**

**this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine :p **

**title inspired by fall out boy's 'the kids aren't alright' **

**[ring] **The phones in the news room are constantly ringing but on his very first day, Derek doesn't have a phone because the person who occupied the desk before him fried hers by spilling coffee on it. He's waiting for Isaac to set one up but while he waits, he really needs to call the fire department to ask them for a follow-up quote on the Bushwick fire so he asks Boyd who says its okay to use Stiles' phone so he leans over to the desk next to his which is covered in a million post-its of all imaginable colours and five coffee mugs and a purple plushie Barney, for some inexplicable reason, so he can call the department. 'Hey,' says a voice behind him just as he's hanging up and he turns to face a young guy with nerdy glasses and moles enough to map out entire constellations, and he realizes it's Stiles so he says hi and apologizes for using his phone but it's okay, Stiles doesn't mind. Instead he asks Derek about his first phone-in about the Bushwick fire as Derek scribbles furiously in his notebook and tears the page off to stick it on the wall next to his desk. The phone-in is supposed to be in the four pm news, says Derek and Stiles grabs a red pen from his desk and leans over Derek's shoulder, arm brushing his cheek, to write a big 'FOUR PM' on the sheet he just stuck up. He winks as he walks off with a bunch of papers and files and Derek's left staring after him.

**[hero] **Being in the newscasting business means Derek's surrounded by heroes everywhere; there's the eighty-five year old woman who saved the cat from being run over, there's the guy in the six-pm news who stopped a child from getting raped. It does nothing but remind Derek of how he couldn't save his own wolves at the preserve he'd been running; after all this time he still can't get the image of seventeen beautiful wolves draped around the rocky preserve, as if they were sleeping, when he knew they were all dead. 'It's okay, love, it's okay. If Deaton couldn't save them, no one else could have,' Laura had whispered, holding him tightly; she'd come over soon after it had happened.

**[secret] **Stiles is the best desk neighbour anyone could have because he's always willing to help out and he's full of jokes and sarcasm that never fail to make Derek's day. Pretty soon Erica picks up on their growing friendship and corners him in the break room and demands to know whether he has a crush on Stiles. 'What do you mean, I'm not even gay,' Derek protests because he doesn't want anyone to know and if he tells Erica, he might as well have told the entire station or even the world (considering they work in the newscasting business) but Erica just curls her lip into a smirk and shakes her head sympathetically. 'Please. If you weren't gay, you would be trying to hook up with me,' Derek stares uncomfortably at her before admitting that yes, he's harbouring a crush on Stiles but no, he's not gay, he's bisexual. Erica grins in a way that makes Derek regret ever telling her.

**[close] **When Stiles and Derek end up in the break room alone, Stiles photocopying some reports and Derek stirring coffee, Derek suspects that Erica had something to do with it but he can't prove anything so he tries to calm his fluttering heart and continues to make small talk as he pours himself a cup but when he takes a sip he grimaces and sets his cup down on the counter. Stiles looks over sympathetically and then grins and asks if he can keep a secret. Derek nods cautiously and Stiles walks over to the door and closes it before walking towards him, and Derek's brain is working too fast and Stiles is just a few paces away but then he reaches up to pull open the cupboard next to Derek's head and brings out a packet of Hawaiian Blue. 'My secret stash,' he whispers conspiratorially, 'I only ever make it on special occasions because the coffee here sucks really bad and if anyone finds out I'm making my own, they flock here by the dozen and this stuff isn't cheap.' Derek stammers a thanks and waits as Stiles brews it and then hands him a cup, their fingers grazing each other. He takes a sip and breathes in the aroma and closes his eyes in pleasure. 'Thanks, dude, this is the best thing I've had,' he says and Stiles grins.

**[box] **The newsroom has a tradition for Sundays or whenever the world is moving too slow for them to report it. Stiles is the one who started it, or so Erica tells him as they all settle into their seats in a circle in the break room while Scott passes around a box full of little slips of paper. Derek draws one out and it reads 'something you could have had but lost'. Stiles explains how they have to answer truthfully and he starts off (his slip says 'something you miss very much' and he tells them about his mother who died of cancer when he was twelve years old). When Derek's turn comes, he avoids Cora's and Laura's gazes and says, 'More time with my dad. He was an alcoholic and even after he reformed I couldn't forgive him for the things he had done."

**[memory] **He walks down to the bar after work with Erica, Boyd and Isaac and he can't help remember how he drank himself to oblivion after he'd sold off the preserve and how it had taken Laura and Cora, both, to drag him up off his ass, pack his things and bring him to New York and give him a job at Channel 67 immediately. He downs another beer as he stares around the bar which is mostly populated by the people from the station: he spots Danny and Greenburg from Sports and Allison from Entertainment and then he sees Stiles, sitting very close to a man he doesn't know very well but thinks is called Jordan and works with the camera crew. He watches as Jordan leans forward to press a kiss to Stiles' neck and before Stiles' eyes can flutter close, he walks out of the bar because evidently he was taking things in the wrong way, and he hates himself for it.

**[run] **Sometimes it feels like he's not running fast enough and that if he stops even for a second, his demons will catch up and suffocate him. Laura comes over and they spend the night drinking and by midnight, he's crying and so is Laura and they both fall asleep on the couch, arms around each other, where Cora finds them the next morning and she's not usually a very demonstrative person but they have a group Hale hug before going about their work.

**[hurricane] **She's from another news channel, and she's covering the hurricane too and while she's about to wrap up her slot, he saves her from a piece of debris that would have fallen on her head. The debris falls on his foot instead and she asks if he's okay and he nods yes, because he's too busy looking at her beautiful blonde curls and her pretty eyes to notice any pain. She smiles very slowly and they exchange numbers and when Laura finds out she frowns because the Argent channel has always been rivals with the Hale channel and he knows it but wasn't it Laura who told him to get back in the dating game?

**[wings] **Kate makes him happy; they go out for silly things like movies and dinners and ice cream on Sundays and walks in the park, arm in arm. Their favourite thing to do is watch the birds glide, their wings outstretched, hardly a flutter in their flight, and he loves the smile on her face when she's tracking a bird with her eyes, loves the way she squeezes his hand when he doesn't feel like talking and for the first time in forever, he feels like something's going right.

**[cold] **It happens so gradually that he doesn't even notice at first (the elections have him busy). First she stops calling back, then she stops coming over at lunchtime to drop off sandwiches and finally, their dinner dates trickle down to one every two weeks. He calls her but she says she's dealing with some shit and to just leave her alone. He's hurt but he doesn't show it; he goes down to the bar as usual and he notices that Stiles isn't sitting with Jordan either.

**[red] **When he walks into the newsroom, a strange hush falls over it but the phones are still ringing frantically and its unnerving and eerie so he slides past everyone and sinks into his chair and asks Stiles what's wrong and Stiles swallows before he admits that there's been a fire in his apartment building and that Cora and Laura were at home when it happened. The world stops for Derek.

**[drink] **He cannot get through the funeral without a drink, which turns into two, or three or a bottle until Erica steps in and takes it away. He's not crying but his eyes are red. The entire newsroom is going even though it means an hour's worth of transmission with only Allison to read the two-pm news (she offered her condolences earlier) and somehow Derek ends up in Stiles' car, in the passenger seat but they don't talk; Derek presses his forehead to the cool window glass the entire ride. At the funeral, he cannot believe it when he sees her smirk and her blonde hair and the service is disrupted when he charges towards her, wanting to rip her throat out, anything, anything, to make her hurt as much as she hurt him, but Stiles and Isaac are holding him back and they take him away to a little side room where he finally breaks down on Stiles' shoulder.

**[midnight] **It's midnight and he's drunk and he dimly realizes that he's back in Stiles' car and that Stiles' is driving him home (but he doesn't have a home, not anymore). It's Stiles' arm around his waist as they take the elevator to Stiles' apartment and Stiles hands him a shirt and sweatpants and makes up the couch for him and then he pulls Derek into a bone crushing hug and he doesn't let go for a long time and when he does, Derek notices that Stiles was crying too.

**[temptation] **It's tempting to go and tear down her apartment, or do something equally drastic but he stops himself every time because he knows he'll get arrested because they never could link the fire to the Argents so technically, she's innocent. Instead he busies himself in his work and does news reports and live slots and phone-ins mechanically and everyone steps around him as if he's a fragile thing that will break if they so much as touch him.

**[view] **Stiles tells him he can stay for as long as he likes and Derek's lost everything he had and he doesn't even have any belongings to move into Stiles' apartment so he simply lies on the couch unmoving for a few hours, thinking and thinking and not crying. They drive to work together and he doesn't speak and they drive back and he doesn't speak and Stiles' orders food and they eat in silence and Derek lies down on the couch again and the lights are off but he can't sleep so he gets up and roams the flat restlessly, stopping in front of Stiles' bedroom door. Stiles' is sleeping and his face is untroubled and calm, one hand curled under his cheek, the other clutching the blanket he's wearing. Derek watches him for a minute before walking back to the couch and letting sleep finally wash over him.

**[music] **Stiles fiddles with the radio while Derek buckles his seatbelt and suddenly the tiny interior of the car is filled with Maroon 5 and he can't breathe because Cora loved that band and would sing their songs all the time and he squeezes his eyes close but Stiles notices and he turns the radio off without comment but Derek asks politely if he can walk to work instead, because he'd really like to be alone, and Stiles understands completely so Derek picks up a coffee for him on his way and leaves it on his desk.

**[silk] **Her voice is as smooth as silk when she calls him on his private extension in the newsroom and he's doing a report on the latest legislation and he's thrown off track when she asks him whether he wants to meet up again. Stiles is doing something on his computer and he notices Derek's face turning angrier than he's ever seen it and his knuckles are white and he's clenching his other hand so hard that Stiles is afraid he's hurting himself so he wrenches the phone from Derek and he tells the bitch to go fuck herself and never call them again. He takes Derek's arm and leads him to the break room where he cleans the half-moon shaped cuts on Derek's palm and puts a cartoon band-aid on them with a small smile. Derek nods his thanks and leaves.

**[cover] **Stiles walks into the living room where Derek's sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and the Star Wars movies. He's wearing a tux and Derek can't stop looking at him and Stiles is tying his bow tie in the mirror above the shelf with the encyclopedias and he catches Derek staring at him in the mirror and they hold each other's gaze for a long while before Stiles steps away from in front of it. He's covering the Oscars and he looks like a goddamn celebrity himself, crossing the room, sinking into the couch, next to Derek, pulling the popcorn bowl out of his hands and putting it on the coffee table before leaning forward slowly so that Derek can refuse to do this if he wants to, but Derek does want to, so he places an hand on the back of Stiles' neck and brings him closer so that he can press his lips against his. It's nothing more than Stiles covering Derek's lips with his own, but it's the first time in ages that Derek's felt something.

**[promise] **When Stiles comes back later that night, Derek's asleep on the couch. Stiles shrugs off his suit jacket, and unties his bow tie and goes to his bedroom where he grabs his fluffy quilt that his grandmother made for him when he moved to New York. He gently drapes the quilt over Derek's body, smoothing it out, fingers lingering over Derek's torso. Derek grunts and sleepily opens his eyes; Stiles smiles at him and covers his hand with his own like a promise. Derek pulls him down and kisses him again, this time his tongue slips inside Derek's mouth and he runs his fingers through Derek's hair and when they break apart, he invites Derek to sleep in his bed because it would surely be more comfortable.

**[dream] **They don't have sex, they just kiss slowly and sweetly, and with each kiss Derek feels a little piece of him dissolve and he slides his hands up Stiles' back, pressing him closer and closer till they're both out of breath but Derek's smiling at Stiles in the moonlight and it's the most beautiful thing that Stiles has seen and they don't talk about it and they don't explain anything to themselves. Stiles wraps his arms around Derek, making him the little spoon and Derek falls asleep with Stiles' lips pressed against the nape of his neck, his arms tight around him and for the first time after the fire, his dreams aren't full of flames he never saw.

**[candle] **It's Erica's birthday and Boyd and Isaac are throwing her a party after the midnight transmission. Derek doesn't know what to get her and he and Stiles spend a long but fun hour in a gift shop, trying to decide on a present. Stiles wants to get her plushie toys but Derek wants to go down the less-eccentric path and get her bath salts or something weird like that so they spend their time in the aisles, with the employees on duty giving them the stink-eye as they loudly discuss the pros and cons of each item they come across. They finally settle on a box of scented candles and Stiles selects a card from the rack which he signs Stiles and then hands over to Derek who signs his name next to Stiles' and then grins when he realizes what a couply thing it is for them to give Erica a joint birthday present.

**[talent] **Derek hadn't known Stiles could draw so well until he got a headache and was rooting through his drawers for some aspirin. He picks up the sketchpad and flips it open, sinking onto the edge of their bed. The pages are full of watercolour paintings that Derek stares at open-mouthed. There are studies of people in a park, there are busy sketches of the newsroom and there are so many drawings of Derek. He stops at the last one in the pad. It's the only one that has both Stiles and Derek in it. Derek's lying on the couch, his head in Stiles' lap and his eyes are closed, a small smile playing over his lips. Stiles is looking at Derek with an expression that's almost painful to look at because its so naked and raw. His fingers are tangled in Derek's hair. Derek tears out the page and grabs his coat.

**[silence] **When Stiles gets back from filming a live slot in the suburbs, he's tired so he pads to the kitchen, calling out for Derek, and pours himself a drink. Derek replies from the living room so he takes his drink and walks into the room. For a moment he doesn't notice the new frame next to the television but when he does, he stops short. Derek doesn't say anything, and nor does Stiles. He's still staring at the sketch of the two of them relaxing on the couch. Derek breaks the silence when he can't bear it any longer and asks if Stiles is mad at him. Stiles shakes his head and sinks down into the couch with a long sigh. He explains how he didn't really like his own paintings, and how it was a shock to see it put up. Derek hugs him and whispers, 'It's beautiful.'

**[journey] **The channel wants to send Derek down to Ohio to cover a press conference and when he asks, Stiles agrees to come with him, since he has a few vacation days left anyway. They leave on Monday morning and drive down, taking turns and stopping at anything that's remotely picturesque. When they finally reach Ohio, they are barely on time and stumble into the conference hall, giggling like teenagers. Everyone turns and frowns at them but Stiles grabs Derek's hand and leads them to their seats, not giving a damn what anyone thought.

**[fire] **It's been a year since he lost everything and that night, Derek can't sleep. He's restless and kicks the covers off and Stiles is trying to be patient but his father had called him that day to tell him about his recent heart attack (but I'm perfectly fine now, son) and Stiles is worried about him which makes him snappy and by the time Derek finally gets up to go and have a drink, Stiles has just about had enough. He takes Derek's pillow and blanket and throws them on the couch and slams his door shut, leaving Derek out in the living room. And then it's hours later and neither of them can sleep and Derek can hear Stiles sniffling and he's pretty sure Stiles can hear him sniffling but neither does anything and so they both fall asleep without apologizing.

**[strength] **Derek says he's walking to work the next morning and Stiles nods without looking up from his crossword so Derek leaves, making sure he slams the front door. Stiles tries to figure out what the answer for 7 across is but he can't think so he grabs his keys and leaves too. He rounds the corner to where his car is parked just in time to notice that Derek's not looking to his left when crossing the road and there's a big lorry that would crash straight into him but Stiles shouts loudly and pushes Derek roughly to the pavement, landing on top of him with a small 'oomph'. A crowd gathers but all that Stiles is aware of is Derek clinging onto him tightly and whispering apologies fervently into his collar, and Stiles' heart is beating a mile per minute and he grabs Derek's face and pulls him into a kiss where all the world can see but he doesn't care because he almost just lost the man he loves. 'I'm so sorry too, Derek.'

**[mask] **Stiles first hears the news from his father's nurse. When she calls, they're baking cookies and when she tells him his father passed away, his tears fall into the batter. Derek moves to the other side of the kitchen counter and catches Stiles before he falls to his knees. But it's the only time that Stiles cries. A week passes after the funeral and he's back to normal. He laughs with Isaac, jokes around with Scott and makes puppy eyes at Lydia. At first the others are as suspicious and anxious as him but they soon begin to look past his obvious mask and accept it as his true feelings. It's only late at night, when Stiles thinks Derek is fast asleep that Stiles lets himself cry. So one night, Derek reaches for Stiles' hand and simply squeezes it once. He has to wait a while, but Stiles eventually squeezes back.

**[ice] **It's a particularly cold winter and whenever they're not working, Stiles and Derek spend their time cuddling on the couch with lots of coffee and cheesy movies. Stiles brings a little kitten home one day, the poor thing's whiskers are frozen and she's shivering. They take turns to warm her up and Derek feeds her a little milk with a dropper and soon she's chasing around the apartment wildly as Stiles and Derek watch her from their vantage point on the couch. But after a while she gets tired so she hops into Derek's lap and climbs up to his shoulder where she snuggles up to his neck and falls asleep. Stiles grins at that and rests his head on Derek's other shoulder and sighs contentedly just as their kitten starts to purr.

**[fall] **They're doing a slot together for the first time ever because Current Events was short on reporters (Erica and Boyd were covering a zoo opening) and they needed two people on the team. So Stiles and Derek and the camera crew take a ride to the area where the gas explosion happened and set up their equipment. Stiles kisses Derek before they step in front of the camera to do a live slot and Allison, back at the station, asks them questions and they're answering in harmony, Derek looking over at Stiles every so often and then it's over and they're putting their equipment back in the van and Stiles is loitering behind to talk to one of the locals and Derek sees it happen in slow motion out of the corner of his eye. Another explosion; Stiles falling backwards in slow motion, hitting his head on the pavement and not moving and Derek is running, running and shaking him but he isn't moving.

**[forgotten] **Stiles has a concussion and the doctors say he's lucky that he didn't crack his skull and Derek lets out a long sigh of relief and asks if he can go in and see him. He's hooked up to machines and looks a little pale but it's okay because he's smiling and Derek clutches his hand and kisses him desperately and the nurse is tutting in the corner so he pulls away, blushing. So they sit there, talking and talking and Stiles laughs and smiles and it's not until later that night, when Derek is alone in bed that he realizes that it was their first year anniversary and they'd both forgotten.

**[dance] **Stiles leaves early because Derek's looking over the night transmission but he kisses Stiles in the lobby before promising to be home before midnight and then he walks back up to his desk where Erica starts briefing him. It's 11.56 pm when he finally turns his key in the lock and he can hear faint music and sees candles on the dining room table and he's smiling when he sees Stiles sitting on the couch dressed in dress pants and a button down shirt. 'I hope you haven't eaten yet,' Stiles says as he gets up and leads him to the table. They eat and then Stiles pours some wine and he puts on music and its 'Perfect' by Pink and its their favourite song and he grabs Stiles by the waist and waltzs him around the room even though its not that kind of a song but they're both singing along and laughing and then Stiles loops his arms around Derek's waist, pulling him close and hooks his chin over Derek's shoulder and sighs contentedly as they sway. 'Happy belated anniversary,' Stiles whispers in Derek's ear.

**[body] **Derek knows he will never get tired of tracing the moles on Stiles' body. He licks a path between the little dots and Stiles moans, his blunt fingernails scraping at his scalp, so he pushes himself up to nuzzle his neck. Stiles is making little whimpering noises and Derek ruts against him, barely even thinking straight. Their mouths crash together, Stiles' fingers clutching for purchase in the sheets, Derek's eyes fluttering close and Stiles gasps out Derek's name. Later, Derek sighs softly, rubbing his thumb against the hickey on Stiles neck and Stiles whispers I love you and Derek's thumb stops mid circle and he whispers it back.

**[scared] **Stiles doesn't tell Derek; he finds out himself when he's looking through Stiles' desk drawers in the newsroom for pens. There's a whole bundle of them, written in all kinds of handwritings and with all kinds of threats and he reads every last one, a shocked expression on his face. Stiles is out doing a slot so he asks him about it later that night and Stiles doesn't say anything and Derek's shouting about how he should have told him, how Kate Argent is a ruthless psychopath who will stop at nothing and Stiles quietly says, 'I'm not scared, Derek.' even though he is but Derek stops shouting and sits down on the chair, his head in his hands, whispering, 'I can't lose you too, Stiles.'

**[farewells] **They talk and at first Stiles isn't so sure because he thinks it will make him look like a coward but eventually they both decide to quit their jobs and move from New York. They pack everything up though Derek doesn't have a lot of things; he never quite figured out how to adjust to material things after the fire (Stiles is really all he needs) and Erica and Boyd throw them a farewell party. They get drunk and dance and later, they lie in the doorway to Stiles' balcony, on a blanket they haven't packed yet, and watch the faded stars in the New York sky and fall asleep holding hands.

**[world] **They haven't really decided where they want to live yet so they take a trip to Southern France and Germany and Italy and Norway and they spend three months living in small motels and inns and camping and Derek is so completely happy after a really long time and late at night in a small hotel in Paris, Stiles whispers that these three months have been the best months of his life so far and they don't want to ever stop living like this but the money's running out so they make a quick stop in London so Stiles can pose with the wax statues in Madame Tassauds before moving to the small town in Northern California where Stiles grew up. Stiles shows him his old house and his father's grave and they move into a small house near the local high school.

**[formal] **Derek gets a job at the local news station and it's slow work because Beacon Hills is a sleepy town. Stiles says he's had enough of the news business and that he wants to try teaching instead so he calls up the headmistress, Melissa McCall, who is his best friend Scott's mother and asks her if she could possibly give him a job teaching the kids and she agrees immediately because the third grade teacher is leaving town and she hasn't found anyone to replace him yet but he still has to go down formally and accept the position so Derek drives him down and waits outside until Stiles comes back, clutching some papers. He announces that he has to get a teaching degree but that he's worked out a deal where he can go to the local community college for his degree in the evenings and teach in the mornings. Derek smiles because he's happy for him.

**[fever] **Stiles starts school and Derek drops him off and picks him up every day before driving down to the station himself but one day, as they're dressing for work, Derek notices Stiles' red eyes and sniffles as he's doing up his tie so he asks, 'What's wrong, babe?' and Stiles says, 'Franny had a cold last week and she's been sitting in the front row so I think I may have caught her bug. Ugh, I feel awful.' Stiles collapses on their bed backwards, groaning and Derek frowns worriedly. He ends up calling in sick for the day (and Stiles can't help but smile fondly at that) and making Stiles chicken soup and cuddling him till his fever dies down and Stiles feels better.

**[laugh] **Stiles is planning to take his class on a picnic because it's the end of term and they're restless in class because of the heat. He asks Derek to come along because he needs another chaperone anyway and he'd rather it was Derek than anyone else and he doesn't have to worry in any case because Derek agrees immediately. So they spend an afternoon making little sandwiches and Derek slips out after a while and returns with thirty little juice boxes and Stiles smiles in surprise. They take the kids down to Oak Woods Park where they run free, playing games and chasing each other while Stiles laughingly tries to catch them, a blindfold over his eyes. He ends up bumping into Derek instead, who grins as he loops his arms about Stiles' waist and maybe that's the moment, seeing Stiles with all his kids, so happy and carefree, that Derek finally realizes that he wants to be with this man for the rest of his life.

**[lies] **He lies awake one night, Stiles is snoring, his head on Derek's chest and his arm draped over his stomach, and Derek can't sleep because he cannot figure out the perfect way to propose. He thinks about taking Stiles back to New York for a weekend and proposing there since it's the place they met first; he thinks about doing it in the school but he doesn't think the staff would appreciate that; he even calls up Erica for ideas but in the end, he comes up with the perfect way all on his own. Stiles senses something going on but he doesn't comment because his birthday is coming up also, and he's not the type of person who would ruin his own surprise by asking about it.

**[forever]** Stiles' birthday falls on a Sunday and Derek wakes him up with slow, sleepy kisses and breakfast in bed. They have lazy, shower sex and just when Stiles is boneless and happy and willing to fall right back in bed to cuddle till they fall asleep again, Derek announces that he wants him to get dressed because they're going out. Stiles asks where they're going but Derek just smiles as he picks out his shirt and throws it at Stiles' head. They get in their car and Derek starts driving while Stiles fiddles with the radio and Maroon 5 starts to play and Stiles quickly looks at Derek and reaches to turn it off but Derek stills his hand midway and smiles sadly at Stiles and tells him that he's okay. Stiles smiles and strokes Derek's wrist with his thumb. They drive on, to the very edge of Beacon Hills and Stiles is squirming in his seat and Derek laughs and tells him they're almost there. 'Almost there' turns out to be a large stretch of forested and rocky land behind a big wooden gate that Derek swings open and leads him through and Stiles follows, slightly confused, his mouth open. 'What's this place, Derek!?' he asks and Derek smiles and walks up to the highest point on the land, where he pulls out a picnic basket from behind a bush and spreads out a blanket and Stiles is speechless which is new. So Derek starts to speak, 'I bought this land a few weeks back with the promotion bonus the station gave me and I'm going to raise wolves again. And it's you who inspired me to do this, Stiles. For the past three years, it's been you who's pulled me out of the dark places and showed me how to live again. I never thought I'd survive without Laura and Cora but here I am. And it's all because of you. You help me destroy my demons, Stiles,' his voice is breaking and there are tears in Stiles' eyes and his hand is covering his mouth. 'I want you to be with me forever,' Derek whispers, pulling a ring box out of his jacket pocket and opening it. Its a simple gold band with a triskelion, just like the tattoo on his back, etched on it. 'Marry me?' he asks.

**[overwhelmed] **Stiles stares at Derek, speechless, as he kneels in front of him, eyes anxious and ring box outstretched, and he feels like he's about to burst with all the love he feels for this man so he whispers 'Yes, yes, of course,' and Derek's face splits into a big grin as he takes the ring and catches Stiles' hand to slip it on his finger, and Stiles is staring down at the gold band in wonder and then he looks up, and meets Derek's eyes and throws his arms around him in a fierce hug. Derek can feel him crying into his neck and he pulls away to rub a thumb under his eye, wiping away the tears and catching his lips in a sweet kiss, mouthing 'I love you,' over and over against Stiles' lips.

**[whisper] **They're lying on the blanket, Stiles cuddled up against Derek's side, pressing his lips against the side of Derek's neck, and they're watching the stars, both of them feeling so completely at peace that they wish time would stop and let them stay like that forever. 'I thought a lot about where I would propose to you, you know,' Derek admits, stroking the back of Stiles' palm and feeling a slight jolt of happiness every time his finger brushed against the cool metal of Stiles' ring. 'Hmm? Why this place then?' Stiles murmurs against his skin. 'Because I want to create new beginnings with you. And this wolf preserve is a new beginning and I want to do it with you, alongside you,' Derek says and Stiles pushes himself up and props his head on his elbow to look at Derek. 'I love you, Derek Hale. I love you so so much,' he says, gazing at him. Derek smiles and says, 'I know,' and pulls him down for a kiss. Stiles sighs when they break apart and rests his head on Derek's shoulder again. 'This was the best birthday ever,' he whispers into the darkness.


End file.
